After manager Jurgen Klopp’s “Ferrari” comparison, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is no longer a transfer target for Premier League club Liverpool
Jamie Carragher has slammed Liverpool’s recruitment policy following their withdrawal from the race to sign Jude Bellingham this summer.
On Friday morning, Jurgen Klopp appeared to confirm his club’s reluctance to spend big money on Bellingham, 19. The news will come as a huge disappointment to Liverpool fans, who were hoping to see the England international return after a difficult season.
Klopp’s team is currently eighth in the table, with most critics agreeing that a couple of new central midfielders are needed this summer. To the dismay of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, Bellingham is unlikely to move to Merseyside.
“Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp built a level of trust in transfers that was the envy of Europe,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph. “That trust has vanished with the news that they will not pursue Jude Bellingham this summer.”
“It must be reclaimed in the next transfer window because Klopp, his recruitment team, and owners Fenway Sports Group have been given a pass for the club’s poor form over the last eight months, particularly away from home.”
On Friday morning, Klopp told reporters: “We can’t have six players in a summer, all for £100 million… We are not children; if you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they say a Ferrari, you would not say, “Oh, that’s a good idea.”
“‘No, that’s too expensive, and you can’t drive it anyway,’ you’d say. It would be a really sad life if this kid was unhappy his entire life because he couldn’t afford a Ferrari. You look at your abilities and work with them.
“We try everything to get what we need and want, but there are times when you have to accept that this or that is not possible for us – you step aside and do different things.”
Liverpool came close to winning the quadruple last season but have failed to replicate that form this season. The Community Shield winners will finish the season without a major trophy and will be out of the Champions League next season.
Carragher believes that signing the right player has benefited Liverpool in recent years. They have previously spent a lot of money to bring in players like Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, and Darwin Nunez rather than going for a cheaper option. Nonetheless, it appears
Carragher is perplexed by Liverpool’s refusal to pay more than £100 million for Bellingham. The Reds’ logo has been updated: “How can the club suddenly object to a valuation in excess of £100 million? They are well aware that this is the going rate for the best in class.”
Carragher has also chastised his former club for failing to sign a fit central midfielder last summer, despite the fact that it was clear they needed to act. The Reds eventually loaned out Arthur Melo, but the Brazilian has yet to appear in the Premier League.
“Plenty did [foresee Liverpool’s problems] last summer,” Carragher concluded. “If those in power at Anfield did not do so, they lost sight of the ball.”
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